Northern California Physicians Management Group has awarded UnitedHealthcare of California the 2013 Best Health Plan Award.

The Best Health Plan Award recognizes health insurers that advance "the cause for quality in the health care industry." UnitedHealthcare was chosen from among five finalists in an online vote by health care consumers. The award was presented at "Northern California's 1st Annual Healthcare Quality Summit" in Sacramento.

"UnitedHealthcare and our nearly 10,000 employees who live and work in the Golden State are grateful for the opportunity to help provide Californians with access to quality health care," said Brandon Cuevas, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of California. "We are honored by this recognition from Northern California Physicians Management Group."

UnitedHealthcare of California serves more than 125,000 health plan participants in the Sacramento region and 2.4 million Californians through a health care provider network that includes more than 57,000 physicians and nearly 320 hospitals statewide. UnitedHealthcare recently was one of the health plans chosen to work with CalPERS to provide state employees with cost-effective, quality health benefits and innovative wellness programs.

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping improve access to quality health care in the Golden State. UnitedHealthcare's California Health Care Investment Program has provided $269 million in financing to health care organizations throughout the state that provide care to people who live in underserved and underinsured communities.

This year, UnitedHealthcare awarded $5.2 million in grants to nine health care organizations to support nonprofit clinics and hospitals that improve health care services for underserved communities in California. The grants included nearly $700,000 to Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation to help support its health information exchange systems and advanced technology to better serve patients, and $107,000 to Plumas District Hospital to support the hospital's wellness and medical education programs and improve the delivery of health care services in Northern California.

About UnitedHealthcare UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with 780,000 physicians and other health care professionals and 5,900 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 40 million people in health benefits and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.